The Republican journal., 1887-01-20
Correspondence of the journal.

4. 8 ~. I,,,
" Wv w
MENlCo. JAN. 1857. In the architecture and
furnishing of Mexican houses there is no such
variety As in most other countrles-one cds0 OF
the better class being almost an exact counter
part OF thousands OF others. Since therc Is
scarcely amy middle class between patrlcians
and parNenliS. the contrast between the abodes
OF the poor and those OF upper-tendom Is great
indeed. The former are the mercst ldcdls lpro-
nounced hach-aUs) novels in which respect
able lackil would di>dain to live - in the low
lands made OF wild-cane stalks. thatched with
dried grass or Spanl>h-ila%.cr leaves. or adobe
hutS III higher attitudes where the nights are
chilly. In fact the universal building material
of all classes except the Indians of the teyrd
cGliente. is adobe-but that used in the con-
structiun of patrieian homes is as different from
the sll-dred mud of the parvenu>. As the
"greaScr differs from the ari>tocratlc Mexican.
No other kind of houses would answer as
We'll Ill this climate a> those that prevail among
the upper classes, for the walls of solid clay,
from three to eight feet thick. keep out heat as
| well a> cold and preserve an even temperature
within. despite hlaZin. moons, chilly nights, ana
the dampucss of the long rainy season. The
flat roofs are also OF adobe. laid thick above
ponderou> beams. with cutters around the edge
and queer little Natpr-Spout> projecting. often
in the form of @argoylcs.
ru, ,,,.rrp NI,.
,,.u. :,,,.
are SeherIlN il'eaIp'ie n'le' !El,"M' i',,h VI
lh tido VI ".' Nai .o'o. ,
''iiu oiteh WIN eiano'ate niucto a'ioi ii'ie','s
oNti i"ui: a'' "'n'.oN ine a''o.c io'.i'',.' .
W. 'i'rN ~ l''"9r'ic' VII +" my 49,:
"n ,i'''i ''t '''' ~
'' ~ '',''" ''H.' Nv '','''e' >o''i Il;
NU''' pt'n- a,'"c' d. 'il' tc'ii " ny
any ta> III nohteFeH an" ot"ct horthefn ''ie>'
one sees "iia' We 'h'i 'aiWo iio"ee> + T.
lio>e l'alIt'u "i "'tr o.,,''e III le:"I"L pa,, u
Wi">' Pit''>'l4 "h''N Pi,"tt1 '','o, "iii'e III
.ie ,V,'t '''ur. ~ "1o.' " .',.. Nv u, a. Y
~, az, 'hh',! '"S"H 'iN 'l ~ ~ i.i
' VI ~. 'i''' una l'''f"'>' ''ioi' ooi 'Hi'
'i'ii "iii ''.i''- ~ ~ 'i'io' 70
"'>i'' llc ai.eI ti,,rS % IL" houses are iilolt
''h "''G si"rs II; Hol-i'i ; 'llc vas. mayor" .!
nyu>'> nav NJ i'h.ici '',u'i i"i up St",i =
ne r"S"" "i "el1'o-u9 MeAlfih> are oi Na>t
yA'ri a. '9''ilaItu u 'ht 'Nti.Ee liouse III l,lc
= t'T ~" "'''H ,'eli- PUN 'ioe' ~ .i'o
center an ,uroof,I ,nurt or D,tio with which
every one Of the numherlcs> rooms commune
Gates. In those rare cases where the house Is
of two. or even three. stories. the apartments
of each floor open upon corridor which sur
rounds this inner court - the pIlared corridor
beng cay With awnings. hainlnockS and trail
ing vines. and the court beautiful with foun-
tain>. fruits and l'owrr>.
The idea of strict >crltl>ion for respectable
females - transmitted. no doubt. through the
Moorish blood of the CDHqnistdlnres-i> still
20 strong in Mexico that the higher the caste
the more carefully is all trace Of family life Sc
,'Iuied from the public view, and the more diff
tirult il il for foreigners 10 gain access to the
interior. All the windows are securely barred.
like those o! prisons. having stout wooden poles
OF perpendicular rods of iron before them.
while the one great door - leading into the
court and thence To the rooms of the casa - i
Kept carefully locked and hoitcd the cherries
Ulauk walls presented 10 the street telling no
tales Of family life within. The traveller fresh
from he | ntcd States. accustomed to the prct-
ty front @artcG> OF green lawns. open doors
AMI accessible homes Of the North. is apt to rail
against these southern customs which battle his
curiosity and defy his ihuUi>itiNrno>s at every
turn. Hut. beyond uubt. these ways are
wiser for the N"ftc"H""$. The fr,H-lnd-ca>y
customs which work well enough among even
tempered people ot c"i'icr clillatr>. would be
ruinou> for this hol-bIooied. jealous and turhu-
icnt race.
N,.xt,,> WINDOWS
,. :.. ~,
a'f l"r"'i"l lhni'hti"h>. iht'N rta'i a,N!o>i
i!"i'i u"'i 10 Teii!h9' are Nllc is 'tar'n ""of,
dl''' t,'p Mali> otlh! so lIich, 'ioIu Hiipie
room ioI i'a'iil- Fiir> WITHIN lheit ,2iilil re-
'i,ii '' i'',ilI! ','t "o'' " 'ou7i'
-"i' Hut'i- tn' rooi "l ihe oat. '1hlpHr"iNe-
~" '"S"> ,uA"i l't' III MinloW -'aNs' ioi' ~
',i 'i't ''i't .c. .'':,'' W.
20! 'i'o W. niifl"A ui>l"'">e M''i u ','lo-
.'thel. ne Nii,'o"> nave he"NH hi>ne smut
W ''' ~ ,'iSheu VIZ" "ioN '''e sl'.> l'Ne
=" Wiarh orih'il'eI> 'Ie ":'u1''I'i'u' =.
'" vi s"i. "'ph' oi''"''2 III 'H' 'ii''n'G' "o.i
Ny : 'N 'Ii' oo"' "l Il ',alh. y >li'"> are
ton. the only means bv which a degree of pri-
NacE may he secured When the household m;-
rhIher{ ie h"I Oh eNhipl'loli; !, TO close the
~" nan ": i'it '''u tiV iiiiul>'ihe
1'i>i'l NIili 'u'i">"f >hai p'n"u pH ihe eN i
'ri'' @ "tte''l' 10 '""''"i >"nit,h'i1' lrol"e"''H
u;i i'',i" "i "."i - PEI >',!o'!A o.ei tht .op
~ ~ 1''' .'' .n' '''' ny M
i INN; "'':. ~ 'i"N va. -. 30, a. "'n d. " "
E -; ~ ','''' - '', mn F" '" ti' |',Ht," VI
~ - - I,
U"' >,'', ''T "ni an" H''''''
~, ~. H. a. t :" - ln' ho.'a. ]
,;i' H. " NJ ".i .S ~ " "ni'ioN
o.iiN'> Ia, i'n9o! :" :''Al'o laihti unp'e's-
',',' Nv :, ~ i''i' iii',>e'i III =,
a t"' At" us II III ''''9tI'" "i' ~ M ~
' no". h"' su,i''ie ar'r>,oic>' ,' IN tiilr' nov
~, ~ iot o'''. 'ii' 'on o'io 'u' w
'iiH nr'e>iH VI ''!eh' ail.! ny 'tli" oH icei, an
, ~; ~ ut t II. II y! >otii. i'iI
,,i i'''''. nv n'i'i 'ii''it ho' .'"S Pi 'eo'
'",vi ~, '.ui VI -h:Ai0o l. d i'lI't vi iei-
t,", Mi'it " ,''o"> mus 'e ole.
''.. .'1't u'.' ai" lhe>e ca'!ol
~ ~ III my p, ~" ~, VI 'u' I'M
i'"nF, 1i '>. nu. !nou.h one MA. >,tep hele
~ po' p Su,'ii't M.iio,tt 'lo>i's shutter IL
,',;t NJ, ~ .i'o,L o.H enc''I iio,ii 700 eiose
" ~, " ''is .n","','
u"D ~ llnio" ,i'I ~ iopes " l.h i'oohs
"t't'ii' u ''h, "'Atiou>'N "ra" M oul even your
-" ny IN ., oi i'i'h pi',''te perhaps oliSi-
''''ea ihe leN''' SANG "ora
| HOOKING
| ,.I; l., ,,,
~, II - ON! Ju>'Ne ~ a''" Una! 'nele
| for the influence of Roman Catholicism i.
paramount. especially among the poorest class
e>. venture 10 assert that with all your spring
bolts an! careful precautions to bring in even
| the door mats at nightfall, there is more steal
| II sll